How long will your razor/brush last

[pcilse]

After reading about people finding and using razors that are 50, 60, 70, and even 100 years old, I have a question.

Do you think someone will be using your razor, brush or other equipment 100 years from now?

 

[Eeyore]

Probably not. My experience is that boar brushes last between 5 and 10 years. I think the last one (a Dutch made Vero) lasted something like 5 or 6 years, and I had one Omega fall apart within a year, many years ago.

About my razors ... who knows? A good razor should certainly last 50 to 100 years, by which time I won't need it anymore. Maybe a young man picks it up from a flea market then

 

[BlackBard]

I have two razors - a Slim that is already 50 years old and in good condition and an EJ DE87, which I have had for about 2 years. I have no idea how long it will last. I take good care of my toys, so they both will probably outlast me. After that, who knows?

I only have one best badger brush. I have been using a brush and soap for over 45 years. In the past, badger brushes have lasted about 5 to 8 years. I have had a few cheap boar brushes that did not last long - maybe a year at most.

 

[Eeyore]

Really? I have used brushes for the last 30 years, always boars. And with some exception, they all lasted at least 4 to 5 years. Most of the times I had to buy a new brush because I displaced the old one, e.g. by leaving it in a hotel room.

 

[dcobranchi]

I plan on living forever, so I'll still be using my 1901 GEM Jr. Bar in 2113.

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

My shaving gear will be in a museum dedicated to me after I die.

 

[NSmalls]

My shaving gear will be in a museum dedicated to me after I die.

I love it! When I have kids hopefully they will want some of this stuff, but they'll have to get their own until I'm done with it!

 

[HUF]

A cheap Muhle boar lasted 20 years of exclusive use and would last more. I have recently replaced it with a half a dozen Omega and Semogue boars. It lost about 50% of bristles though. Too bad I disposed it.. I had better reknot it.

A Soviet-made chrommed pot metal DE razor lasted for 30 years on and off. It was my first razor when I started to shave 40 years ago. Then my dad used it for decades when I switched to BIC disposables. The threaded stud snapped off. That was the end of long service of a great razor.

 

[CleanSweep]

Well let me say this - my father used the exact same Gillette DE Tech razor from 1946 until some time in the very early 1980's when he switched to a Gillette Atra. I recall seeing that razor as a kid. Wouldn't say it was worn out in any way. He shaved daily too. What does that say about a common inexpensive razor of that time period in America when compared to todays modern over-priced European DE razors that tend to break at the screw stud after only a couple years?

 

[Ollie4ISU]

I have several razors that are 80, 90, 100+ years old, the oldest dating back to 1903. With proper care, I see no reason they couldn't still be in use 100-200 years from now. And I have just about enough blades to last that long.......

 

[Bebe]

I plan on living forever, so I'll still be using my 1901 GEM Jr. Bar in 2113.

did you buy it new?

i have a C40, most likely from my father (and he's 85) - i just used it this morning. Still going strong, even the golden letters are in decent shape! I don't know how old it is but it looks like will last another decade or two...

 

[Eeyore]

What does that say about a common inexpensive razor of that time period in America when compared to todays modern over-priced European DE razors that tend to break at the screw stud after only a couple years?

It says that our European companies listened well to the Americans when they were talking about profit maximalization and product lifecycles

I agree that it is a shame that many products are not made "forever" anymore. It is too easy to blame King Gillette for that, but he lived in a time where businesses changed dramatically. And not always for the better, in my opinion.